ECE2024 Eposter Presentations Thyroid (198 abstracts)
1Hedi Chaker Hospital, Endocrinology-Diabetology Departement, Sfax, Tunisia; 2مستشفى الحبيب بورقيبة بصفاقس, Nuclear Medecine Departement, Sfax, Tunisia
Introduction: Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) in children is rare, accounting for 1.5 to 3% of all pediatric cancers. Its clinical presentation differs from that in adults. The aim of our study is to investigate the epidemiological, clinical, and anatomopathological characteristics of DTC in children and adolescents.
Patients and Methods: A descriptive retrospective study was conducted at the Nuclear Medicine Department of Habib Bourguiba University Hospital in Sfax over a 21-year period (January 1996-December 2017), including 20 patients, children, and adolescents, followed for DTC.
Results: The average age of our patients was 14.9 years, with a female-to-male ratio of 1.5. Seventy percent of our patients presented with a thyroid nodule, associated with cervical lymphadenopathy in 10% of cases. One patient had a history of radiation exposure, and another had thyroid dysfunction. Family history of thyroid cancer was present in 3 patients, and thyroid dysfunction in 3 others. All patients underwent total thyroidectomy, with 90% undergoing lymph node dissection. The diagnosis of DTC was based on the histopathological examination of the surgical specimen, revealing papillary carcinoma in 80% of cases and follicular carcinoma in 20%. Pulmonary metastasis was observed in 15% of cases. All patients received thyroid hormone therapy. Complete remission was achieved in 65% of cases.
Conclusion: DTC in children and adolescents is a rare but aggressive entity. Its treatment is based on surgery and radioiodine therapy, resulting in an excellent prognosis.